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What will the do-nothings do?

Ted Cruz reiterates Trump's call to 'repeal THEN replace' if no one can agree on immediate replacement

By Robert Laurie ——--July 8, 2017

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Back in March, I argued that we shouldn't be looking at "repeal and replace." We should be looking at "repeal," full stop. Then we can try to pass some fixes that lower costs, stimulate competition, and address insurance availability for low-income individuals. That was just before the GOP tried - and embarrassingly failed - to pass a "repeal and replace" bill that vitually no one liked. As I said at the time:
ObamaCare is a disastrous piece of legislation, no part of which should be saved in its current form. After a decisive victory in November, we should be looking at a complete repeal, and then the negotiation of regulations that would repair issues with the previous free market system.

Republicans, who couldn't be bothered to prepare for Donald Trump's possible victory

Since then, we've born witness to the release of a "secret bill," a bunch of back and forth negotiating, and a general congressional malaise that seems to have stalled any forward progress. Republicans, who couldn't be bothered to prepare for Donald Trump's possible victory, have been caught with their legislative pants down. So, we sit, wait, and watch them spin their wheels. As this happens, I'm still wondering: "why don't they just repeal it?" Apparently, I'm not alone. Last week, President Trump wondered the exact same thing:

Repeal the ACA and let the insurance companies re-establish the market

To me, this is a no-brainer. Repeal the ACA and let the insurance companies re-establish the market. Remember, insurers pushed for ObamaCare because they believed it would deliver a massive new customer base. Why shouldn't they endure the headache (and cost) of rebuilding the market they sought to upend? Later, we can address all the issues that we fully admit existed in the former system. Now Ted Cruz has embraced that position, and reiterated it at a town hall last night. From the Hill:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a town hall Thursday night that he agrees with President Trump’s statement from last month that the Senate should vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act entirely if the GOP replacement bill is unable to pass. Cruz partnered with The Concerned Veterans for America for the event to discuss his proposed version of the health care bill amid a series of town hall events with the group focused on veteran issues. Cruz's endorsement of repealing and then later replacing ObamaCare comes after Trump tweeted his support for such a plan last week. Trump's tweet came after the Republican Senate leadership delayed a vote on the Obamacare overhaul due to lack of support.

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There's a cadre of Republicans who are so terrified of the media firestorm that will come with a repeal that they simply refuse to keep the promise they've been making for a decade

So, will it happen? Probably not, becase Mitch McConnell still has a Senate seat.
Despite the president’s call to action, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will continue to pursue a joint plan to repeal and replace the system.
And that's the rub. There's a cadre of Republicans who are so terrified of the media firestorm that will come with a repeal that they simply refuse to keep the promise they've been making for a decade. They voted to repeal it 40 times when Obama was in office, secure in the comforting knowledge that their vote was meaningless. Now that they're in charge, they've abandoned the core pledge they've been making since 2008. ...Because they'll have to defend themselves if they follow through. That's called cowardice - and it's utterly shameful.
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Robert Laurie——

Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com

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